Refugees

"Oiy Lunny! Starting a bit early tonight, aren't we?"

"Oh quiet, he had it coming for a few days. Damn gnomes always stick their noses where it doesn't belong." I waved my hand to clear some of the smoke that was rising from the charred remains of a smited gnome at my feet. "Besides, don't I always clean up after myself?" I said with a morose grin. Looking down at the barbeque I cast a simple revive and trivial heal spell to get it moving again. With a cough and groan, the gnome backed away from me as fast as he was able, and shambled out the door of the pub. If he was all the rest, he'll have learned his lesson not to mess with this Teir'dal. Especially when tonight's special was batwing crunchies. By Cazic, I can never get tired of those.

"There, you see? All clean." I sniffed some of the lingering smoke in the air. "It even smells a little better in here... he must have been wearing cologne."

The barkeep at the Jade Tiger's Den grunted, shook his head and resumed cleaning the steins. After a long acquaintance (and a bit of bribery) he allowed me one free smite a night. Anything else after that was added to the tab. Luckily the patrons of the Den, and much of the citizens of Freeport, knew of my reputation by now and gave me a wide berth. Lets just say that Inquisitors of Innorruk were not known for their patience. However having a reputation also meant many a dull night at the tavern, alone. The aggressive little gnome had been a welcome break in the tedium.
I settled back down in my stool at the bar and resumed eating my bowl of batwing crunchies. I let myself relax a bit, that is as much as I could relax in a full set of plate armor, and let my mind wander as my eyes ran over the plethora of spirits from all of Norrath. I've gotten into the habit of talking to myself. Again, more than likely a result of the 20 foot radius most folks give me, but thankfully I keep the monologs internal. 'This is a good life, yes? A dungeon here, a cleansing there, a cooked gnome at my feet. What else could a dark elven girl want?'

"A home."

Mid-crunchie I spun around in my stool to face the front door to the Den and see who had answered my internal question. There stood a tall, dark erudite in a deep crimson robe, along with what seemed to be two companions. Amazed that they could so close without me realizing it, i stretched out my senses.... and felt the auras of all three. They were Good.

I very much wished I hadn't used my free smite already tonight; I didn't bring that much cash with me.

The erudite in the middle spoke again before I could get a charge going, and I matched the voice to the one that had snapped me out of my reverie.

"Citizens of Freeport. I come here in this time of Truce between the cities of D'Lere and Bayle, to extend my hand in friendship. My name is Anders Tyl'gray, this ravishing creature to my left is my wife, Trenniss, and on my right is Gnicklepose." He had first gestured to a statuesque high elf, blond with a hint of strawberry in her hair, and secondly to... preserve me... a gnome with... Great Cazic, I didn't know noses could GET that big.

He continued, "We three, along with others, have formed a tight band of adventures that have found that the best of times is in the Journey, not with the treasure chest at the end. We want to offer this discipline to you, the citizenry of Freeport, along with comradery, and a Home." The erudite's gaze wandered around the Den, taking in with the returning looks the general reception of his statement. Some had turned to their fellows and laughed at the brazenness the Qeynosian had for entering the tiger's den. Others still simply went back to looking down the barrel of their stein. Only two people still had their attention on him; a meathead of a barbarian near the back of the bar, and myself.

I took a long drought of my blood wine and asked, "Comraderie and discipline cannot be sold on the market, or keep the rent paid. Surely you can do better than that, mindreader?"

I suddenly had the scholar's full attention, and he took a few steps deeper into the Den. His two companions kept formation, but I paid little attention to them.

Anders responded, "It is for that very reason that they are so valuable. They cannot be bought, and cannot be traded away. Trust in one's companions comes rarely in Freeport, I would gather. If you journey with us, our trust will carry you through even the darkest of times, once it is won." His smooth dome-like brow furrowed slightly, "Though I am no mindreader. What made you say that?"

I leaned back on the bar and crossed my arms as I answered, "Drop the goodie-two-greaves act. Just now, when you entered, I had been thinking to myself what else could I want in life. You mindread that and had to shoot in your propaganda and said aloud 'A Home'. Please. I have all the home I could wish for here. The Overlord takes care of His faithful. Your offer is as empty as the Hole."

There was a scrape of a chair being moved in the back of the Den as the barbarian rose up to his full height and took a few steps toward the gathering. He spoke, "The Overlord takes care of those that are useful to him. Once that usefulness is gone, so too is his charity. That is not what I would consider 'trust'. Ye have my attention erudite. My name is Barg, and staying in the frontline is my job. I'd follow ye for a bit, if I can trust ye to watch me back."

Anders chuckled and responded, "Aye, you would be very welcome indeed, and I would be at your back. Way back in fact; as a wizard, I tend to get chomped quickly." He summoned a small flame from his hands as evidence of that claim. He turned again to me, saying, "And that should partly answer your question as well milady. I am a scholar of the elemental arts, not of the mind. I had simply been responding to one of my ally's questions, 'What do we have to offer the people of Freeport that they cannot find here already?' The fact that you were mirroring this question at the exact same time, perhaps is the work of the Gods."

"Indeed!! Ze work of Erollisi Marr, ze Queen of Love! Oh, I can tell zis von has pepper, and I love my Ladies vith some spice!" The pint-sized gnome had suddenly made himself known, and apparently all his brain power was stuffed into that gigantic schnozz of his. Or... elsewhere. Having me deal with one gnome earlier didn't make me keen to put up with a second. I have my limits after all. As the small-fry procured a lute from his pack to undoubtly sing of my 'pepper' and started to saunter up to me, I neatly hurtled my best smite directly at his head.

It never connected, however. The high elf to Ander's left had just as neatly cast an arcane ward on the pint-sized Casanova, and charged up the rest of her healing spells over the group. Bringing my attention finally to her, I noticed now that she also wore plate, however this set had a bit of a holy glow about it. A templar. Splendid. The yin to my yang as a cleric. This basically meant everything was even.

It had been quite a while since I faced an even fight.

I pushed out the chair from under me to face the trio. It didn't matter to me if they were here to convert all of Freeport to holy knights of Mithanial Marr, or if they wanted to raze the town in the name of Rallos Zek; an even fight was too much fun to pass up. Unholy magic formed in my palms as I went for a second, more concentrated strike.

"That's 100 platinum Lunny." the barkeep said from behind me. "Pay up."

I whirled around, eyes incredulous, "What are you talking about old man?! There was no damage done!" The wizened bartender only grunted and kept cleaning an iron stein. "You know our deal, girl. One free smite a night, and as far as I saw, you just cast two within a span of 10 minutes. Whether your new friends diffused it or not, you still owe me 100."

I grit my teeth around lavender lips, knowing that what he said was true. Starting to feel like a Kerran in a corner, I let the ancient energies fill me. It takes a bit of concentration, and I had most of what I had left to spare aimed at the Qeynosians in front of me. Therefore I was taken by surprise when the barbarian stepped in between us and faced the bartender. "I don't know what ye saw, mac. From where I sat, the lady had a cramp in her wrist. Was jus' a trick o' the light, I'm figurin'."

"Aye." Anders included. "Not even a napkin misplaced. Hardly seems the work of a Priestess of Pain, yes?" He took a step toward the bar, and with his companions keeping formation, he asked, "I do believe you were mistaken, weren't you?" A small flicker of flame danced in one hand. The barkeep grunted and turned his back on all of us, and proceeded to clean a tankard from a high shelf.

"That's our que to go, dharlink," the gnome whispered from my side. I pinched up my nose, but followed the band outside into the sun.

Outside the doors to the Jade Tiger's Den, I found a peculiar sight. On the top of the steps stood a fair lass, with what seemed to be a whirlwind playing about her. A fury then. A few steps below her was a man dressed in captain's regalia, with a cutlass in each hand. But instead of her directing her attention to the fracas that had happened inside, they were looking outward. The small ring of Freeport guards was most likely the reason why. Temporary truce or not, they were still in their right to watch those they suspected of wrongdoing. I laughed to myself, thinking that here it was more than likely "right-doing."

"Any trouble out here, Gimmel?" Anders asked the pirate.

"Nay, just hard stares. Though I think I *have* heard of a look that could kill... so we miiight want to head out."

As we walked to the main gates, he glanced over to the barbarian and myself. "Looks like ya found some homeseekers. You two in for some adventures in the New Lands?" I was still trying to catch up with all that was happening.

First I tried to toast a gnome, then I am saved by the very people I tried to attack? And none of them seemed to be too concerned about it now. Peculiar folks. Entertaining though. I thought back to the bowl I left behind at the Den and quipped, "You owe me a serving of batwing crunchies."

"Ah! Zees is no problem, zen!" The highly animated gnome exclaimed. With a sudden *POOF* of smoke, a very tall, very green ogre now occupied the space the twerp was standing. He wore the wrapped leather of a street brawler, and extened from his green mitts a... bowl of crunchies? "Want?" is all he said to me, as he lowered the bowl to my height.

"What just happened here?" I asked, looking toward the erudite.

"Ah," he replied, "Yes. He tends to do that. Depending on what we need, he'll change... a bit. Kind of handy, don't you agree? He likes to be called Matpuk when he's like this. Great with his hands, in both combat and cooking. He makes an excellent vultrich casserole."

I took the offered gift of "peace" as I saw it, and with a bite, forgave him for sometimes being a gnome.

Anders spoke again. "May I introduce Gimmel, a swashbuckler of the seas, and his better half, the Lady Navaya, a fury of Tunare. My friends, may I introduce Barg and Lady... pardon, I did not get your name?"

"Alunia." I said with resignation.

"Indeed," he replied. "That is an unusual name for a Teir'dal, if I might say."

And with that I was taken back to a time when I still lived with my mother in the forests of Kelethin, hidden in secret. I was too young back then to understand that the difference in our skin tones could mean so much to others. Her face was pale and rosy, cornsilk for hair and always a sad smile on her lips.

"Oh, my little Alunina" she would tell me. "One day perhaps, you can walk in the light here, but for now, I don't have the strength to protect you. Maybe it would be best for you to live with your father in Freeport. At least then you could blend in, live a normal life, one where you do not need to hide from your kin."

'One day .... you can walk in the light...'

"Ah, yeah, it's a little wierd." I said with a grin. "You can call just call me Lunny."